How Toxic Shame Shows Up—and What to Do About It

Podcast: The Suze Maclaine Pont Show
Hosts: Suze Maclaine Pont & Jakko Smit

Episode Summary:
In this intimate and soul-baring episode, Suze and Jakko return to the tender terrain of toxic shame—but this time with a practical lens.

Suze shares a deeply personal story about breaking her ankle and being forced to receive help—revealing how toxic shame still whispers “Don’t be a burden” even amidst love. Together, she and Jakko explore the nervous system roots of shame, why mindset and “just letting go” don’t work, and how true healing requires the creation of safe, loving containers where shame can be witnessed without judgment.

This episode is both a mirror and a guide for therapists, coaches, and soul-led professionals who sense shame in their clients—and in themselves—but don’t yet have the tools to meet it without collapsing, fixing, or performing.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear:

• What toxic shame really is—and how it differs from guilt or trauma patterns

• Why our bodies keep “choosing” survival over support—even when love is available

• The subtle ways shame sabotages healing, connection, and belonging

• How Suze’s retreat weekend cracked open new layers of unworthiness and love

• Why inner child work isn’t about fixing—but witnessing with sacred presence

• How to create safe “incubators” for healing toxic shame

• The importance of pausing, expressing, and being witnessed

• Why we cannot heal shame alone—and how we must let others hold us

Quote Teasers for Sharing:
“Toxic shame doesn’t live in your thoughts. It lives in your nervous system.”
“We can’t heal shame by fixing it. We must meet it with God’s unconditional presence.”
“The moment I asked for help, I felt like I was 16 and about to be bullied again.”
“Safe environments don’t always feel safe. Sometimes they awaken what wasn’t safe before.”

Resources Mentioned:
Retreat: Finding God in Everyday Life
Join Suze and a circle of sacred seekers Juli 18–22 for a contemplative retreat in nature that gently unravels shame, opens your heart to Divine love, and reawakens the soul.

Call to Action:
Listen now—and share this episode with someone who needs to be reminded:
You are not broken. You are not alone. And you are deeply, divinely loved.

➡️ Subscribe, rate & review
Tag @suzemaclainepont when you share
Retreat Details & Booking